BACKSLIDING TO HELL by Mike Peralta (best books to read in your 20s txt) 📕

 Message To Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, And Teachers.

Even though this subject may seem to be a subject to be avoided, because of its controversial nature, it is vitally essential that the truth about this be dealt with earnestly and seriously. Why? Because precious eternal souls are hanging in the balance. If people believe and live by a false doctrine concerning salvation or its possible loss, they could end up in a Hell full of fire, brimstone and torments.

To those apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers that would rather avoid this subject altogether, consider 1 Timothy 4:16 which states that: “Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Also recall what the Lord said through Paul, 2 Corinthians 10:5, let us “take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” Even if the leaders of the true body of Christ avoid this subject because of the fear of controversy, which is really just the fear of man, the demons of deception will not let up on their deception of scores of believers.

Even though many pastors and teachers know in their hearts that the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine is not right they avoid preaching against it in the name of unity. They don’t want to offend other leaders in the church that, incorrectly, believe in the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine. But you must realize there is no real unity unless the unity is with Jesus and the truth. Unity apart from Jesus and His Word is called rebellion. For example, when Jesus was on earth, those sitting in the seat of Moses - the Pharisees and the experts of the law - were all in unity against Jesus. So we see that unity for unity’s sake is dangerous and in fact detestable if it is not unity with and in Jesus. Remember also the unity that man tried to accomplish, separate from God, in the tower of Babel.

The type of unity that God wants us to embrace is one where we all believe and obey Jesus, and lovingly teach the truth of God’s Word. And remember presenting a warning should always be done because of love for those in danger. If you truly love those who are backslidden you will warn them in accordance with God’s Word.

Some brothers and sisters in the Lord may disagree with you greatly, but you must not forsake the truth of God’s Word. This is not to say that one should name names and publicly condemn others who disagree with the truth as you have learned it. Rather as a good and faithful ambassador of Christ, present the truth that Jesus has taught you without malice or rancor. People may oppose you, but be faithful to Jesus. In the end, many of those who oppose you will be won over because of your obedience and faithfulness to Christ.

Of more immediate urgency, is the destruction that the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine has had on weak believers - causing them to fall and keeping them separated from Christ. This is the most urgent reason, that as a leader, you must warn and correct God’s people about the falseness of the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine and about the eternal destructiveness of sin.

To see how destructive this doctrine really is, reflect on the following testimony a concerned mother had about the devastation that the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine is having on her four oldest children.

“When I first came to the Lord 30 years ago, we got into an independent Baptist Church which, of course, taught eternal security, Once Saved Always Saved. Now my four oldest children believe it doesn't matter how they live. They seem to find no problem in drunkenness and fornication, etc. My eldest daughter, 31, tells me that I cannot be telling them or anyone they are doing wrong because I'm not to judge. I do know I am to warn and how can a loving, caring parent not want to warn the off-spring of the dangerous lives I see them living?”, Testimony From: Evangelical Outreach, P.O. Box 265, Washington, PA 15301.

Her four oldest children are only four of multitudes that have been spiritually hurt, and even eternally damned, by the venomous teaching of the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine. There is extreme, eternal harm in this doctrine. This is not about arguing fine points of theology. Real people are going to the real Hell as a direct result of this deceptive doctrine. Truly, this teaching needs to be openly refuted as never before. Please pray for these deceived ones to repent before it's too late.

According to Ezekiel 3:17-20 the Lord will hold us, leaders and lay people alike, accountable for the blood of those fallen believers that we had opportunity to warn but didn’t. Because of this, to the leaders of the church I submit the following Biblical command from the Lord:

“Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at My mouth, and give them warning from Me. When a righteous man doth turn from his righteousness, and commit iniquity, and I lay a stumbling-block before him, he shall die: BECAUSE THOU HAST NOT GIVEN HIM WARNING, he shall die in his sin, and his righteousness which he hath done shall not be remembered; BUT HIS BLOOD I WILL REQUIRE AT THINE HAND.” Ezekiel 3:17,20 KJV.

Dear leaders of the church. God has given you much influence among believers. He did this specifically and primarily, so that you could warn and protect God’s people. I not only urge you, but I beg you, for the sake of our weak and prodigal brothers and sisters, that you please study and pray and fast concerning this subject until you get a revelation and impartation from the Holy Spirit concerning this subject. After this, when the Lord directs you to devote yourself to preaching the truth about this subject, recognize that satan will attack you even through those believers around you. Remember how even Peter, the Lord’s chosen apostle, tried to dissuade Jesus from the sacrifice that the Father had willed for Him.

It is guaranteed that you will suffer reproach. As 1 Timothy 4:10, KJV, says “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God.”

When you earnestly start trusting in God’s Word alone and not those prevailing doctrines that are not based on the full counsel of God’s Word, then you can expect a great deal of opposition. And the opposition will come from people and leaders inside the church. Even some of your closest friends and family will end up opposing you. When this happens, there is no if about it, it will happen, don’t fall into hate, resentment, bitterness, etc. with them. Rather pray and love and teach the truth - don’t succumb to the fear of man. This will be a hard but worthwhile road. And as the Lord directs you to do it, you will end up saving “both yourself and your hearers.” 1 Timothy 4:16.

It was a lack of faith that was the first step that Eve took when she decided to doubt God and then, thereafter, disobey Him by eating of the forbidden fruit. Recall that satan told Eve that she would not die if she ate of the fruit, whereas God told her she would die. Notice that Eve chose to doubt God’s explicit Word and instead chose to believe satan. Let us read what God told Adam and Eve:

Genesis 2:15-17. “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.’ ”

Please take very special note of the phrase that God gave Adam, “you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” Take careful notice that the word “die” meant spiritual death and not only physical death, which also was part of the warning but not the primary part. Although it’s true that part of the consequence of Adam and Eve’s disobedience was their physical death the more serious consequence was their spiritual death which caused a separation between God and Adam and Eve, and all of mankind thereafter.

Let us now read where satan, the serpent, enters in to deceive Eve:

Genesis 3:1-6 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, `You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ " The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, `You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' " “You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”

The fall of all mankind, all of the sins, crimes, wickedness, murders, adulteries, immorality, violence, and all forms of evil, are a result of the sin of unbelief leading to disobedience that Adam and Eve committed against God. Again, with regard to the death that God mentioned, this death was about their spiritual death. Which in time had consequences on the physical body in the form of physical death.

As you can see, satan’s trickery worked on Eve for basically three reasons:

1. Eve was disposed to accept satan’s lie by the lust of her eyes “When the woman saw the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye”,

2. She was seeking to depend on her own mind instead of faith in God’s Word, “desirable for gaining wisdom,” and

3. Satan was able to convince Eve that she would not surely die if she ate of the tree, “‘You will not surely die,’ the serpent said to the woman.”

It is uncanny how satan’s trickery of Eve resembles the current “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine. Through the “Once Saved Always Saved” doctrine, satan has been able to convince many of God’s people that: “You will not surely die if you indulge your sin”, or “As a ‘believer’ you will not surely lose your salvation if you live a sinful life.”

I certainly hope you see the parallel. The same tactics that satan used to deceive Eve toward sin is the same that he is using